Whether jumping between ships, diving into a river, knocking out a policeman, or running for his life Buster Keaton peppers every scene with numerous punchlines. The narrative itself takes a back seat to the visual comedy. The audience knows the two young lovers will eventually connect, but the thrill resides in anticipating what wacky situations will temporarily derail that plot. Steamboat Bill, Jr. even features what many call Buster Keaton’s most dangerous and must-see stunt: fitting perfectly through an open window in a house’s falling facade. Keaton supposedly even told his director to keep the camera rolling no matter what. Valuing these stunts and visual marvels over the story is what makes Steamboat Bill, Jr. resemble the “cinema of attractions” more than a narrative focused film.

My particular showing of Steamboat Bill, Jr. also included live piano accompaniment by Philip Carli, which simply added to the sense of “attraction.” Now not only did the film itself want to draw the audience’s attention away from the plot and towards the technical craft of the stunts and gags, but the theater also added its own additional artistry to the experience. Even though we remember Buster Keaton for fusing his stunts with more than serviceable story, between him and Philip Carli the narrative did not stand a chance.

Of course all of this applies to a silent film from 1928, but how does it apply to modern cinema? Well, over the years it naturally progressed from Keaton (who was already fusing action with narrative) to franchises that dominate our current theaters. If you look at Marvel or the Fast & Furious franchise, these films draw in audiences with the promise of spectacle. Of course there is an interesting through line across the films, but the action remains the primary draw. Even as budgets and technology have skyrocketed, the principals found in Steamboat Bill, Jr. still hold true today.

Once you do away with the facade and superfluous story, whether it is Fast & Furious or pornography, in the end, you’re just there for the explosions.

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Usually, studios provide theaters with roughly 90 days of exclusivity before releasing films through other means. With Universal Pictures now defying that norm, this could potentially lead to long term issues for theaters. Will moviegoers want to give up the convenience of their own home? After all, home theater set-ups have improved substantially and it seems harder and harder to find a venue with patrons not on their phones or talking to one another.

After a few months of social distancing, new habits will form. Once loyal theatergoers may begin to shun going out for the latest films and embrace a simpler and more personal experience. Home set-ups may never truly match the screen and sound quality of a decent theater, but how good is good enough? Is the pure spectacle of it all still a strong draw? Or are Universal’s actions another nail in the traditional theater system’s coffin?

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Click here to listen to an audio version of this review.

The CGI takes your breath away…until you notice the mouths and facial expressions. In a quest to achieve realism, none of the animals emote with their faces. So a beautiful nature documentary plays out on screen, but the animals do not come across as real characters. None of them have any defining traits. They all look like real lions or birds and kudos to the animators but, that does not make for a good film. In a quest to see if they could, they forgot to ask if they should.

When shots noticeably zoom out and obscure characters’ mouths during long dialogue sequences, you know there is an issue. And in 2019, slow motion zoom outs should not be shot at two frames per second. Frame rate stuttering that noticeable is embarrassing. The disconnect between the “lively” voice-over work and stoic animal models leaves the whole ordeal feeling soulless; not to mention Mufasa’s rag-doll-esque death sequence.

Compounding the issue, the voice-over work suffers from a number of horrible performances. The banter between cub Simba and Nala was surprisingly stilted and difficult to endure. However, Pumbaa and Timone easily steal the show. Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner give wonderful performances as the duo, and brighten any scene they appear in. John Oliver, once you get past his recognizable delivery style, plays a serviceable to good Zazu. The remaining voice actors produced nothing of value. Lines were delivered flat and uninspired. Iconic dialogue lifted straight from the original movie did not carry the same emotional weight this time around. Nothing sounded as though two people were actually talking to one another. The hyenas in particular sounded disjointed and off. It would not be surprising to hear Beyonce recorded all of her lines over the phone.

Speaking of Beyonce, the music. For renowned musical numbers, boy were these versions dull and uninspired. Once elaborate, energetic, and colorful sequences found themselves reduced to long walks through the woods. Again, in order to maintain a “realistic” art style, director Jon Favreau sacrificed what made the original so beloved in the first place. Additionally, the covered songs do not surpass the 1994 classic’s. Listening to Beyonce oversing with unnecessary pitch changes just does not cut it.

The Lion King (2019) presents nothing new. While not intrinsically terrible, by failing to improve on or change anything from the 1994 original it fails to make a case for its existence. Cutting dialogue entirely and relying solely on the songs to convey the story would have been a more original and enjoyable approach (although much less marketable). At some point directors will realize chasing realism to the detriment of the film is an artistically bankrupt endeavor. Until then, they will gladly continue accepting the unholy sums of money this film will assuredly make.

The post The Lion King (2019) – Review appeared first on MovieRiffing.

UP next in Disney’s barrage of live-action remakes comes Mulan. At this point anyone wanting to claim fatigue will set in has to ignore reality. Disney will not stop until they have run out of animated films and then they will probably move onto Pixar. However, this particular trailer does not inspire the same doom and gloom as the rest. This new take on Mulan really does appear to be a re-imagining of the Disney adaptation. Without Mushu and the musical aspects shackling it to the past, hopefully this film will breathe fresh life into the IP.

As previously stated, this time around Mushu and the songs stay at home. Although reportedly, the musical numbers may make appearances as instrumental tracks. Somewhat understandably, die-hard fans of the original have not taken too kindly to this. Fantastic! If these changes have angered, depressed, or confused you, please just go watch the original. If Disney continues to insist on all of these remakes, they should at the very least shake them up a bit! One-to-one CGI recreations does not scream creativity. Hopefully general audiences give this adaptation a chance at the box office and Disney decides “riskier” ventures have a place in their lineup.

The trailer itself felt relatively safe. Some of the shots were gorgeous, the opening and rooftop running scenes specifically, but nothing not seen before. The dialogue also sounded hallow? It lacked a certain something to make it truly convincing. They went for a subdued voice-over to highlight Mulan’s compartmentalization, yet it did not have the quiet but striking tone to complete the effect. The zoomed in, “hazy” shots during the slow motion fight scenes also came across as unnecessarily uninspired. Dropping the effect altogether would produce a much cleaner and prettier sequence.

Another idea concerning the inner workings of The Mouse: could these remakes just be padding for Disney+’s arrival; both in terms of content and war chest? It’s an interesting thought and one that will stay unanswered for the foreseeable future. No matter, the latest Mulan trailer delivers hope for variety in Disney’s live-action remakes, and while not truly spectacular, should deliver enough to hold fans over.

The post Mulan – Trailer Reaction appeared first on MovieRiffing.

THE first time I watched series reboot, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, I came out pleasantly surprised by how not awful it was. However, upon second and third viewings (don’t ask) the charm quickly wore off. The nostalgia lost its grip and the movie quickly followed. Jokes lost their punch not because I had already heard them, but because they never had any real structure to begin with. They relied too heavily on gags and “random” humor that rarely holds up well.

I never even considered a sequel, but considering Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle grossed nearly $1B, I should have. Danny DeVito and Danny Glover act as the gimmicks this time around, with Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart playing them, respectively. And that’s my first concern. The same cast, in the same world, in the same reincarnation of Jumanji lacks the intrigue of the first film. They already released this movie back in 2017 and I don’t see the necessity story or premise wise for a second helping (besides, you know…all of the money).

Nothing in this trailer quells my fears stemming from the first movie. It appears a large chunk of the humor is going to depend solely on everyone finding Johnson and Hart’s old man impressions absolutely hilarious. I don’t see this replicating the insane success of the first movie…or at least the same positive response.

Nothing stood out to me in this first Jumanji: The Next Level trailer. It looks like a more generic (if possible) version of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. I didn’t let out a laugh the whole three minutes. Personally, the trailer felt flat. The jokes, acting, CGI, and set pieces all came across as incredibly sanitized. Even the closing action scene just looks so fake and uninspired. Maybe this franchise will surprise me again and make me look like an idiot (a la Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom), but I’m not holding my breath.

What did you think of the Jumanji: The Next Level trailer? Let me know below.

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Studio Ghibli’s vault of excellent films has never officially released in the Chinese market. If this recent opening weekend is any indication, more of these films may soon find themselves in Chinese theaters.

A generation grew up watching Ghibli films on bootleg DVD’s and now they have an opportunity to directly support the creators; sharing a beloved experience with children of their own. Hopefully we see the rest of the Studio Ghibli catalog make an appearance.

Tell us what you think about this surprising (?) Spirited Away box office development below.

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